Getting It Back
by Karikocha
Summary: Taylor needs answers. He thought all was right, until one day Kathy decided she couldn’t take it anymore. Why would she leave?
1. Chapter 1

GETTING IT BACK

Ch.1

The shrill ring of the phone brought his attention away from the clutter of papers splayed widely across his desk. He really wasn't up to talking calls at the moment. Glancing toward it he scowled at the annoying object disgustingly, muttering under his breath.

"Who is this and what the fuck do you want" he replied into the phone rather rudely, once he'd reluctantly decided to pick it up after about the tenth irritating ring.

He didn't give a flying fuck about manners, he was too close to blowing a gasket.

"She's in trouble Taylor, she…", cried the voice on the other end of the phone. Frantic, worried.

He stopped shuffling through the papers and files he'd received from the P.I. earlier that week. His mouth suddenly going dry, he was surprised to be hearing her voice. And alarmed to be hearing it in that state.

"I'm scared, so scared Taylor. She's gonna end up getting hurt. And she doesn't want to call her father…or you, so goddamn stubborn…you know how she is", she was breathing heavy, trying to get it all out at once.

He pushed himself away from the desk, feeling worse than he did before. Too many disturbing thoughts of what could be wrong running through his mind.

"This is all your fault you shmuck, she wouldn't have left if it wasn't for you! You made her run. And her father…damn it, she's a mess."

"Misty.." Rising from his seat he walked toward the door, slamming it shut. Needing to block out the noise the guys were making in the living room.

"She never listens to reason!" she yelled out, doing a poor job of smothering a sob.

"Misty calm do.."

She was going to crying, he could tell her nerves were all over the place by the sound of her voice, the desperation in it. He didn't like it.

"You have to come get her, you _have_ to…force her if you need to…"

"Misty!" Came his booming voice cutting her off, finally getting her attention. He needed her to tell him what was going on, clearly, without hysterics.

"Please Taylor, promise me, promise me you'll help her." came her pleading cries.

"Where the fuck did she run off to, with who?" He demanded.

His anger was bubbling up to the surface again, he'd been trying so hard to forget, if only for a few hours. To remain calm, to suppress the urge to pounce on anyone who so much as asked him what was wrong. He wasn't successful, too wound up reading, then rereading everything all over again until the words weren't making sense.

And here was her best friend, begging him to go get her, help her. Katherine.

His Kathy.

His fingers tingled, damn it he could still feel the way they wove thru her long hair.

Hear her light laugh when it was just him and the quiet that filled his home when he was alone.

Honestly, he couldn't think of her and not want to break something. To beat someone, anyone stupid enough to mess with him as long as he got his frustrations out. And boy was he frustrated.

She invaded his thoughts everyday. Everywhere he went he was reminded of her. The bakery around the corner of her loft she liked so much. The rug in his living room floor where he'd taken her, had her writhing beneath him, murmuring his name over and over again.

After seven months, seven long miserable months he finally had news. Was finally going to be able to see her again. Talk to her, touch her.

Demand an explanation. _'She'd better have a fucking fantastic reason for running' _, he grunted out in his mind.

She'd left him. She'd been late for dinner, he along with Matty and Gracie had waited for over an hour. She never showed. He'd been filled with worry and anger when he couldn't find her.

After showing himself inside her home, he'd almost had a damn stroke. Her things, clothes, everything she could pack into her SUV, she'd taken.

Leaving no trace of where she might have gone.

Calling everyone he possibly could, he came up with no information as to where she was, or with who. No one knew. Until now.

He didn't even get a call, note, nothing from her saying or explaining why she did what she did. It burned him. She didn't care. He'd given so much and she repaid him this way. Didn't have the guts to tell him to his face, upfront that she wanted out. That she didn't want him, or anything he had to give.

He still remembered the tightening of his chest, the overwhelming nausea that tore at his gut. The angry prick of tears, when the reality that she was gone, really gone hit him.

He shook himself mentally. Concluding that he needed all and any information Misty was able to sputter out.

"That son of a bitch won't leave her alone Taylor, he keeps going on and on about you and what she knows." she said.

"Who? What are you talking about?" he

"Richie, that skinny fuck…always smells like cheap perfume. You know, you do don't you?" She explained, trying to talk clearly. "He's threatening her now."

His jaw tightened, dread pooling in the pit of his stomach.

"Taylor. He tried to…he said he was going to…"

"What did he say? Tell me!" He barked out.

She was crying freely now, not trying to stop herself from losing it anymore. She was terrified. Her words were jumbled, he wasn't able to distinguish one from the other. She stopped trying to explain, deciding to cry her heart out into the phone instead.

Damn it all to hell if he didn't know what she had to say he was going to break his hand smashing it into the wall. Patience at the moment wasn't his strong suit, it hadn't been for the last seven months.

He paced the floor like a caged tiger, ready to strike, "Answer me!! What's going on!"


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

He'd heard the door slamming, Taylor's raised voice as he was coming out of the half bath two doors down from the study. He'd tried to help his friend take his mind off of all the hassles he was going through earlier that evening. Tried to lighten his mood. He'd had enough brooding coming from Taylor to last him a lifetime. He'd been trying for quite a while now to get him to snap out of his funk. He shook his head sadly. It was no use. It never would be. He wouldn't stop.

Not until he had answers. Had Kathy in front of him explaining, telling her side of the story. It was a necessity, to know what was wrong, what he'd done. What great fault he'd committed that caused her to leave.

He needed to know, he had to…so he could fix it. Mend what was broken. It was his goal, and he knew just as everyone else, when Taylor wanted something, nine out of ten times he got it. Matty knew his friend was hurt, that he'd been crushed after Katherine's hasty departure. It saddened him. It made him angry.

Taylor didn't deserve it, not really. He didn't deserve to be left that way, not after all he'd done. Sure they were in the business, they were 'tainted', but they had hearts. They weren't all bad. And Taylor had been more than loving, and understanding. He was head over heels for her.

Something that made Matty and the guys laugh many times before. Here was this big tough as nails enforcer, who worked for men that scared the shit out of anyone who was smart enough to fear them. And here comes this woman, has him wrapped around her little finger, has him waging his tongue after her…the best part, she didn't even know it. Didn't have a clue as to what she really did to him.

He'd been surprised when Taylor started pursuing her, became infatuated with her. At that point in time Taylor…well Taylor was a fuck them then leave them type. If they weren't interested in him, no big deal, there was always another loose girl out there that was looking for a good time. He'd never had trouble finding companionship when it came to sharing a bed. Or backseat, kitchen table, shower stall.

Sure he was careful, always was always would be, to get too close. He said he wasn't the type of man to settle down, probably never would be. He had responsibilities. He wasn't willing to mess up because of some fast floozy who offered a good time in bed. They all knew it was a one time deal. Most hadn't put up much of a fuss about it, he'd always been thankful for that. He'd had 'girlfriends', if you could call them that…never worked.

They were all a one time thing, a way to pass time. Katherine wasn't, looking at her one knew she wasn't someone you'd have a quick lay with. No sir, you couldn't fuck her and leave her. Couldn't have her up against the wall of the bathroom of some noisy club, have your merry way then leave without so much as a look back.

Until Katherine he'd never had that amorous look in his eyes, that type of want running through him, that goofy 'can't get her out of mind' smile grace his face. Matty'd often felt like smacking it clean off of him. He'd seen his best friend transform. Where before he'd never put much of an effort into getting a girls attention he was willing to bend backwards to get even a small smile out of Katherine.

He'd often thought Taylor saw her as an adventure, a chase. A game, to see how long it took to get her in bed. In the beginning anyways. After a while he saw how much his friends eyes lit up when she came into view. How happy and elated he was when she smiled at him, talked to him. He had to admit, he rather liked seeing his friend excited about having someone to call his own.

Sadly those days were gone.

But Taylor was more than willing to fight for her. For them.

He wished him luck. As much as Matty was angry that she hadn't been upfront, he still loved Kathy, she was a great person. Someone Taylor needed at the moment.

That was why he was currently in the deep cover of the study, up to his elbows in papers.

Trying to piece together any information as to where she was.

Leaning slightly into the heavy wooden door he could without a doubt tell that Taylor wasn't stuck in the paperwork any more. He was in a heated conversation with someone, but who? About what? His curiosity got the best of him, he reached out, door knob in hand, and turned it…attentively listening to the man behind it.

"What did he say? Tell me!" Taylor's harsh demand reached his ears. His curiosity turned into slight worry.

"Something's not right" he murmured to himself, with that he opened the door stepping inside, finding the other man pacing the floor like there was no tomorrow. His brows scrunched up into a scowl, a hand balled up into a tight fist. His eyes filled with anger, worry, dread.

Looking at Taylor he was reminded of that night seven months ago, when they'd come to realize she was gone. Goosebumps raked his arms, he swallowed, knowing someone somewhere was going to have to deal with a very frightening tempestuous Taylor.

"Answer me!! What's going on!" he roared into the phone.

He visibly blanched, all the color that illuminated his angry expression before drained from his face. After finally getting an answer on the other end of the phone, his face fell, the anguish written all over it made Matty's stomach do a big flip. Taylor stopped mid pace, the words he wanted to yell out got caught in his throat. Making it hard to breathe.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch.3

"What did he say? Tell me!" his voice blared angrily.

Pulling the phone away from her ear she sat down at the kitchen table, tears streaming down her face. Her shoulders heaving with each angry sob. She was shaking like a leaf, unstable. _'Damn it Misty, calm the fuck down, or else Kathy'll come down before you tell him anything'. _

She had to stop for a minute, couldn't try to explain anything to Taylor until she had her emotions under control. Unless he spoke crazy blubbering nonsense fluently he wasn't going to understand shit that came out of her mouth at the moment.

She'd worked herself up into a nervous wreck, did a pretty good job of scaring the living shit out of herself.

She'd been going through everything that occurred, analyzing every little detail in her head. When she came to the conclusion that Katherine and now she too were real targets, she freaked.

Then decided they needed to tell someone else about the motherfucking prick that had made it his ultimate goal in life to mess with them. Not before almost being sick all over the couch in the living room because of all the anxiety she was feeling of course . If she'd been worried before, she was deeply disturbed now.

'_If Kathy can take this shit so can I', _the little voice in her head rattled off, _'she's had to deal with crap like this before, we'll be ok'. _She tried to make herself feel better, she started to believe it was working.

'_But she's had her father before, her family, there's always been someone she could count on before. She's never been a goddamn target, and now…now, no one even knows'_, damn it the little voice always found a way to make her lose her cool, it never just shut the fuck up.

The strong concern she felt came about when Katherine had spoken to her about the trouble going on with her family about a month or two before she'd made the hasty decision to leave New York. To leave Taylor.

Sure there'd always been problems and such, some you could categorize as being big…life altering , others petty little problems that'd work themselves out over time. But whatever was going on now, it made Katherine react badly.

But why? She'd grown up around it, could handle it pretty well. Honestly, that was a crock of shit, she'd suffered. The way her dads side of the family lived caused suffering. But at the end of the day things always turned around, always got better, all things aside she'd dealt with things pretty damn well. As well as a person raised in that type of life style could.

Whatever had disrupted her family when she'd left was resolved, it had been for a while now, she'd said it was nothing major, not something that she had to worry about anymore…not till something else took a wrong turn.

So why had she done it? Why did she run from the man she loved? Misty was more than positive that Katherine loved Taylor. That they belonged together.

She'd been reluctant to start anything with him in the beginning, claiming she didn't need a new set of problems…she didn't want to worry about someone else. But she'd ultimately given him a chance, and things seemed to be so great between them.

She'd said in the beginning it was a no strings attached fling, yeah right. Taylor'd made himself perfectly clear after a little miscommunication they'd had. Wanting to take things slow didn't work for them, not when she was dealing with Taylor Reese.

And by the time she had a chance to look around at what was happening in her life, Katherine found herself in a very serious, very committed relationship. Having no clue as to how she'd gotten there.

But then she'd become rather distant, and sad. Pensive. Misty knew it was caused by the situation at home with her family. Made her apprehensive.

Made her rethink her situation with Taylor, ultimately making her leave.

"Answer me!! What's going on!" the sound of his hard voice made her jerk, it terrified her. He sounded as if he was on the edge of having a major fit.

'_If he's angry now…' ,_she shook her head, _'he needs to know, s'his fault any goddamn way, the sonofabitch'._

Wiping at her eyes, she braced herself, scared at how he'd react. _'Just…fuck…'_

"He almost…he said he was going to have to **make **her talk, he wanted….he almost raped her Taylor!", she finally blurted out, holding her breath. She closed her eyes against the prick of tears, the knot in her throat making it harder for her to talk .

"To get to you, to get her to talk. What does he want to know? What!?" she was desperate to make things right, to get out of whatever the hell it was Kathy was in.

"He kept running on and on about the information he's sure she knows, that **you **let here in on. She doesn't know anything!! Why is he doing this? Why?" her voice was rising with each word, if she wasn't careful Katherine would hear her.

"He said he was going to enjoy having her on her knees, spread out like some whore while he let his guys all have a go at her Taylor" she whispered harshly.

"Then he'd keep her around for his own fun" she choked out the last words, it was getting harder for her to breathe.

She heard what she thought was a growl on the other end, besides that it was deadly quiet. She knew he'd heard her, and just as she'd expected, he was probably dumbstruck by what she'd told him.

'_All hell's gonna break lose after he gets his shit together and the anger starts to run through him' _she thought. If she didn't hate Richie, she'd almost feel sorry for the dumbfuck. Almost.

"Taylor? Are you there?"


	4. Chapter 4

Ch.4

"Then he'd keep her around for his own fun", her fear was evident in her words. He felt a bitter coldness lick up his spine, making him stiffen.

Felt blood pounding in his ears, his lungs aching for breath, his throat constricting. His hands wanted nothing more than to wrap themselves around Richie's neck, squeezing till he was red in the face, mouth gaping open like a fish, gasping for air.

He could see it now, almost feel it, see the repulsive bastard sobbing for his life. Arms and legs flailing around, like a fucking rag doll. His round little eyes about to pop out of his skull, his fear for Taylor so horrifying that he pissed his pants.

Yes, Richie would pay, when Taylor got his hands on that good for nothing worm he was going to wish he hadn't stuck his nose where it didn't belong. He had no right even breathing around Katherine, much less threatening her…almost…

He bit the inside of his cheek, shutting his eyes against the atrocious visual Misty's words were creating in his head. A growl escaped his mouth. Low and menacing.

'_You're going to hurt so bad you're gonna beg me to kill you motherfucker'_, that dark rumbling voice inside him whispered. _'Going to break all your fingers…beat you black and blue, not even your mother's gonna recognize you'_.

Unclenching his hand he pressed his long fingers to his eyes, he breathed in, finally allowing his lungs relief. The burning in his throat made him clench his teeth, he tried to swallow against the knot there.

But before he paid a visit to Richie he needed to see her, to run his hands all over her, make sure she wasn't hurt. That she wasn't scared, that she truly was safe. Also go and have a chat with her father…her uncles too maybe, let them in on what was going on.

Hell, if he was right about what he knew about them, there wouldn't be any Richie left to play with after he let them in on the situation at hand. They'd be merciless, wouldn't care who he was or who he knew. Nothing would matter, they'd tear him apart, and anyone else involved who dared harm their family. They would take care of him and then ask questions later.

He was surprised they didn't already know, that Richie was still walking around with air in his lungs. Out and about instead of being maggot food.

'_Don't worry Kathy…you'll be ok, after I get to him you'll be ok'_, still he wondered why she left, was it because of Richie? Had he threatened her before she left…was she scared he'd do something…why hadn't she trusted him enough to tell him? Why hadn't she gone to her father, it didn't make sense.

Too many questions ran through his mind, too many feelings. But the one that was barely leashed was the deep dark fury that was making his head spin. His stomach tighten, causing the pounding in his head to intensify.

He gritted his teeth, breathed through his nose, and looked up…Matty's light steps getting his attention. He saw the dread on his friends face, and could hear the worry in Misty's voice.

"Taylor? Are you there?"

He swallowed again, his voice raw, taking on a threatening quality, "Yeah Mist, I'm here".

Walking over to him, Matty reached out placing his hand on Taylor's shoulder, giving a slight squeeze. No more than two feet away now, he could see the emotions playing in his friends eyes. _'Shit'_, he knew he wasn't going to like whatever Taylor was being told.

Moving the phone to his other ear Taylor walked over to the arm chair by the window, "Is she there? With you?" he sat down with a grunt, elbows resting on his knees.

"I want to talk to her." It was a command, not a request.

"Now Misty, put her on the damn phone…I need to talk to her, what did I stutter? Now!"

"Calm down Taylor, she's going to get scared if you yell at her" scolded Matty.

"Shut the fuck up Matty."

"Tay.."

"Give me a motherfucking break, I haven't heard from her in seven goddamn months, now I wanna talk to her!!" he yelled the last part into the phone.

Deciding to do as he was told he sat in the chair beside Taylor's, trying to listen to whatever Misty was saying, his mouth shut.

"How long has she been in the shower?……Is she ok?" he was nodding along. He seemed content with the information Misty was dishing out.

"Why did she leave?" his voice was hard, but there was emotion evident in it.

"Because of Richie? Me?"


	5. Chapter 5

Ch.5

"No. You can't talk to her right now." She replied in a fake strong voice, trying to convey that she wasn't going to let up, not easy to do when it's Taylor telling you to do something. If he said jump you most certainly jumped, so saying no, even when on the phone knowing your hundreds of miles apart was quite difficult for her.

"Now Misty, put her on the damn phone…I need to talk to her" he growled back.

"I already tol.." she was cut short.

"What did I stutter? Now!"

She covered the phone with her hand, pulling it away from her ear which was throbbing a little from his yelling. She huffed. Damn it, she was going to cry again. She could feel the tears coming up. _'Why is he so mean, that big bald headed scary looking motherfucker…don't cry, don't cry'. _He was talking to someone else now, still his voice was hard, and commanding.

"…now I wanna talk to her!!" He'd bellowed that last part out to her, apparently forgetting whoever else was in the room with him.

Gritting her teeth, she got up walking slowly toward the stairs, making sure Kathy was still preoccupied.

"She's in the bath Taylor, you can't talk to her because she's in there, ok?"

He sounded less tense now. "How long has she been in the shower?……Is she ok?"

"Not too long. I called you as soon as I heard the water running. I wanted to make sure I had a chance to talk to you without interruptions. I doubt she'd be happy to know I'm on the phone with you. But yeah, she's…fine, well _now _she's ok. Don't worry, she's safe right now." She hoped that calmed him some.

"Why did she leave?" her brows furrowed, realizing she'd never heard Taylor like this. Vulnerable? _'No, not Taylor'. _She shook her head, it was stupid to think Taylor could be weak."Because of Richie? Me?" There it was again, that bit of emotion in his voice. She didn't know how to categorize it, she was a little stunned. She'd never stopped to think that Taylor could sound so forlorn. That he might be, could she really think it, desperate?

'_Well shit, how am I going to tell the big guy, when I don't even know the half of it'._

"I'm not the best person to ask about this Taylor. I'm not totally in the know, she likes to keep certain things to herself. She deals better that way."

"Misty." It was a warning, she needed to spill all she knew, now.

"Look, when she left I was a little dumbfounded to say the least. The way she left anyways. The idea that she might be leaving to go to her parents crossed my mind, things were a bit rough, but why wouldn't she tell you? Why would she run out like that on you?"

Leaning back into his seat he listened attentively.

"I don't know, it was sudden. I had no clue she was going to jump at the chance to run like she did. Don't you think I would have stopped her, tried to at least?"

He looked over at Matty, making sure he was still there. Silently apologizing with his eyes for going off on him earlier.

"Get on with it Misty, what do you know?"

"I asked myself why she'd leave you at all. Maybe you cheated."

"What? Are you fucking kidding me? I told her, I made myself perfectly clear, crystal clear that I was in it for the long haul, why would I screw shit up?" he was glowering now, getting angry again, it showed in the low drawl of his voice.

Matty sighed, _'Whoopty fuckin do, here we go again with this shit'_, he was getting tired of Taylor's dour mood.

"Hold on a minute, I didn't say you did, I'm saying that it crossed my mind is all. Don't get your panties in a bunch" she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Now, as I was saying…_maybe_ you cheated, I don't know did you? No, don't answer that." She really didn't want him yelling at her again, wouldn't get them anywhere.

"If you did do anything of the sort she'd leave your sorry ass, yeah, but she'd make sure you knew you'd fucked up. Give you some inkling that she knew, she wouldn't leave New York just like that, not with her starting to look for locations for her salon and all."

"Like I said Misty, it was sudden, we weren't expecting her to just pack her shit up and leave."

"Yeah, yeah, so I came to the conclusion that you didn't cheat, and I know you didn't hit her or anything. I would of known. But it was caused by you. That I'm pretty sure of. Now this Richie business, it put a whole different twist on what's going on."

"Misty? Where are you?" Came the soft voice from the top of the stairs.

"Oh shit. Hold on, don't hang up Tay…just wait." She whispered into the phone.

His ears instantly perked up, quickly getting to his feet, he began to pace again.

He'd heard her voice, it was her, finally. "Give her the phone, now Misty, now!"

A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth, the sound of her voice lifted his heart, making it beat a little faster.

His palms were getting sweaty, his hands were restless, he didn't know what to do with them. Geez, all this and he hadn't even talked to her yet.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch.6

"Misty?" Katherine called out again, her voice sounded closer now, she was coming down. Biting her lip, Misty looked around frantically, her small frame moving back and forth between the table and living room, _'Great timing Kathy, just dandy'_. Taylor was just going to have to wait a little, but she couldn't hang up, he'd just call right back yelling and demanding to talk to Kathy.

No, not yet, they couldn't talk just yet. More than likely Katherine would hang up, not to be rude, but she'd probably feel like she was being ganged up on. She'd had enough of that already. She'd hate that Misty went behind her back and contacted Taylor. When she talked to Taylor and she _would_ talk to him, Misty wanted them to be face to face.

"Do not hang up on me." Whispering into the phone she walked over to the chair she'd been occupying earlier, silently slipping into it.

She pursed her lips, then in a low hurried voice, "No, no…just shut up. When you talk to her I want it to be in person. You will. Soon. So be quiet."

With that, all she heard on the other end was a low grunt. Satisfied that he wouldn't make more of a fuss she placed her small phone on the table in front of her, and managed to hide it somewhat under the strap of her purse.

"There you are, why didn't you answer me?" Katherine asked as she appeared in the doorway clad in a bright blue nightgown that matched her eyes. She ran a brush through her long wet hair as she walked into the kitchen. A small smile on her full lips, she stopped when she saw the flush on her friends face, hands on her hips she gave Misty a playful look.

"Talking to Sam again were you? Gonna wear that phone out with all the sweet talk you two do on it." Misty just looked at her for a minute, a slight frown on her face. She hadn't thought to come up with an excuse as to who she'd been talking to, didn't think Katherine had heard her on the phone.

Nodding her head a bit, she managed to give a shy smile. "Yes…we were just wondering when we'd see each other again, I miss him. A lot." She pouted, slinking back into the chair. She was lying about Sam being the one she'd been talking to, but she wasn't lying now. She did want to see him, dearly.

"Go see him then." Katherine replied, she nodded as she pulled out a chair, giving a small sigh as she sat down across from her friend. "It's a good idea, he hasn't been able to come out for a while now. You should go."

With that a thought popped up in Misty's head. "I have a better idea. Brilliant actually." She grinned at Katherine as she stopped brushing her hair and looked up, an expectant look on her face, a smile wanting to take over her mouth.

"Well", she asked, slightly cocking her head, "what's this brilliant idea?"

"Come with me, come to New York for a little while…you know you want to see him." She nodded vigorously" No, no…don't give me that look. You do want to see him. I know you do." She said sternly.

Katherine's face fell, looking down at her red colored toes, she gave her head a small shake. Her teeth worrying her bottom lip.

"Yes Kathy. YES. Don't you shake your head. Who do you think you're kidding with that, huh?"

She turned her head, her shoulders set, her eyes hard and cool. "No Misty." Her soft voice sounding determined, final.

"But you didn't tell him why. He deserves an explanation Kathy. It's not fair what you did." It all sounded like an accusation. "Do you have any clue as to how that man feels about you? Do you really? You've always played it off, said it was nothing. It's not 'nothing'!" She all but yelled out, sounding exasperated. "Jesus, I thought you had a heart, that you'd care even a little."

"What, you're now on his side? Is that it?" Her eyes narrowed as she stood up, stalking towards the fridge, gritting her teeth. "Who said I didn't care? Who?!"

"Sides? Are you kidding me? How can I have a side when I don't know why all this happened in the first place?" she exclaimed, slapping a hard hand on the table, shaking the contents on it slightly. _'Shit, phone…Taylor.' _"I'm sorry to say Kathy, but it does seem that you couldn't care less about him. Do you not want him? Is that it?"

"Stop, just stop. I already told you there were things I needed to think through." She said in a tired voice, rummaging through the contents of the fridge.

"What _things _Kathy? What could you possibly need to think about for seven months?" She asked as she discretely picked up her phone and moved in closer towards her friend.

Misty had been hesitant to ask when she'd first come to stay with Katherine, she'd kept her mouth shut about Taylor, about Kathy's father…about everything. After a while she'd tried to get Katherine to talk, to confide in her, one would think that they wouldn't have to try to coax anything out of each other. They were best friends, they shouldn't withhold secrets from one another.

But Misty had a hard time piecing everything together, Katherine never spelled everything out for her. Never sat down and cried or yelled, or just plain babbled out everything that was locked away in that head of hers. She kept most of what she thinking to herself at times. Misty wasn't surprised, she'd seen this type of behavior before. She'd accepted it, then. Now, it was time she got answers, if not her then Taylor.

Resting a gentle hand on Katherine's arm, she spoke softly. "Tell me Kathy, you know you can tell me anything. Hey, it's me." She moved slowly towards her, resting her chin on Katherine's shoulder. Bringing her arm around her friend, trying to give her a small hug.

"I know Mist, it was wrong of me to just run out." Her voice sounded small, filled with regret. "I should have said something, anything. It's just…I…" She turned to look at her best friend. "I _am _sorry Misty, I am. You have to believe me."

The other woman nodded sympathetically, giving her a smile.

"But I felt trapped, I needed to breathe. Everything just caught up with me. He was just so…" Looking away she tried to collect her thoughts, to come to terms with all the feelings coursing through her. "It's not fair what I did, what I'm doing. To Taylor, or to you. I've tried, I really have tried to talk to you, to tell you everything. But it's so damn hard, I can't think of one thing without having to think of everything else. It all ties in together." A sudden sadness took over her features, making her eyes water.

"I just can't, I couldn't…I don't want to Misty." She said on a shaky breath. Her lip trembling, she pushed Misty away slightly.

"Can't what?" she had no clue what she meant.

Moving farther away Katherine let out a tired laugh, crossing her arms over her chest. Debating whether or not to try to explain. "Not right now Mist, tomorrow… I really don't want to go over this right now."

Shaking her head Misty couldn't help but snort. "Are you lying? Are you really going to talk to me about this?"

Seeing the look that took over her friends face she decided to stop asking. "Fine, fine…whatever you want." _'For now Kathy.' _She was willing to relent for now, but sooner rather than later she'd have backup in trying to help Katherine. Even if she was willing to accept him or not.

"But you will have to face all of this, you know that. Don't you…are you listening to me?"

"Yes! I know…just drop it." And with that she left Misty standing there all alone, making her way upstairs to her room.

On a sigh she pulled the phone up to her ear. "What can't she do Taylor?"


	7. Chapter 7

Ch.7

Working the dark form-fitting denim over her ample hips, Katherine checked off the items she'd be buying at the grocery store in her head.

The bright morning light was desperately trying to peek thru the dark blue curtains that hung on all three of her bedroom windows. She'd woken extra early, leaving the warm confines of her plush bed to make sure she'd have all day to get everything ready for Misty.

She'd known sooner or later Misty wouldn't be able to keep that big mouth of hers quiet and really start to ask questions, and after their argument two nights ago she felt bad for handling the situation the way she had. She knew Misty had a right to some answers.

After a long day of ignoring each other completely, Katherine couldn't take her mind off the nagging guilt she felt. She'd said she was sorry, and now here she was, getting ready to cook her friend anything she fancied just to show how grateful she was that Misty was so understanding. Maybe even start explaining the mess that had become of her life.

The bubbly blond loved the idea of having Katherine slave away in the kitchen for her.

She was never one to pass up her cooking.

"Come oooon already." Misty whined as she stuck her head in Katherine's room.

"Put on a shirt and some shoes and get your butt out hear, I want to go. Now."

'_Wanna have at least the shopping done 'fore he gets here, no telling what'll happen then.'_

"Will you shut up, for five minutes…just shut your trap and keep it that way." Katherine huffed as she made her way over to her dresser to rummage through her drawers. She knew once Misty started yapping away it was hard to stop her. It was too early to be hassled with demands and questions.

Picking a random top she quickly put it on without so much as glancing at what she grabbed, hurriedly going over to her closet to retrieve her boots.

"Oh Kathy…no no no." She snickered. "Your…_stuff_ is going to fall out of _my _shirt if you so much as sneeze. We wouldn't want to put your boobs on display like that now would we? God knows you can't pull that shirt off like I can, not with what you're packing."

'_No, don't want his attention on her chest just yet. Gotta have it on getting her to talk, talk and then talk some more.'_

Looking down at herself Katherine smirked, she was right, she couldn't pull off wearing the dangerously deep v cut shirt without giving someone an eye full.

"How did this make it's way into my dresser?"

Making her way over to Katherine, Misty snatched her shirt out of the half naked raven haired woman's hand.

"No clue, now just pick out another. We need to get a move on."

-------

Detroit.

She was in Detroit, and so would he in about thirty minutes.

The leggy bleached blond stewardess was firmly trying to engage him in idle chatter, and failing miserably. All her flirting was being wasted on him. His thoughts were roaming around elsewhere.

They were firmly planted on Katherine, and trying to figure out how he was going to get her to go back home with him. Back where she belonged. He'd tie her up, shove her in a box and mail her there if need be. He didn't care at this point, he was willing to stop being so passive and nice and demand she get her ass in gear.

The insistent hand on his inner thigh roused him from his thoughts, it was slowly making it's way upward.

"Don't." The hard demand made her look up from where she sat next to him and grin, she was sure he didn't mean it. They could make it into a fun little game. She'd been wanting to play with him since he'd boarded the plane. Wanting nothing than to handle his toys.

Her hand ceased but never left his thigh, it terribly wanted to travel up farther. To feel the length she was sure would have her panting and screaming once he decided to give in to her.

Irritated, and fighting the need to grab her wrist and shove her away he looked at the girl next to him, the one who just didn't know when to just shut the fuck up. She seemed

to have a terrible case of verbal diarrhea.

He knew she wanted a quick fuck, and was sure she'd find someone else to join her in the bathroom when he didn't let up.

'_Just doesn't know when to quit, skinny broad has been running her mouth too damned long. Like I honestly give a shit what she keeps yapping on about. Shut. The. Fuck. Up!'_

Looking her over he had to admit she wasn't such a bad sight. She was pretty. Rather tall, long legs, thin petite frame, nice tan, long stick straight blond hair and pair of dark brown eyes that gave away what she had in mind. She was willing to get dirty for a good time.

If Scarpa had come along he'd be banging her brains out already. Didn't have to tell him twice.

It'd be rather easy to get up unnoticed and head to the small compact bathroom and have a go at her, maybe, just maybe she'd shut her goddamn mouth.

If only he could stop visualizing Kathy. He couldn't help compare her to the obnoxious twit next to him. They were total opposites.

'_Nothing like Kathy, nothing like her at all.'_

"Look doll, I'm sure your paid to do more around here than to try to grope and fuck the paying passengers. So why don't you get your ass up out of that seat and get to it, huh? Now."

She sneered as she sat up straight in her seat, the lust her eyes held before now gone. Severely pissed that she wasn't getting her way she made her way up front, leaving him to his thoughts.

Staring at her retreating form, he took in her willowy shape and grunted, "Nothing alike."

He'd have plenty of time to take in Katherine's shape soon enough. Yeah, real soon. The idea of it brought a smile to his face.

-------

Retrieving his bag was easy, renting a car was the hard part. Flight had come in right on time. He thought he'd make good time getting to Katherine's house, that was before dealing with the idiot behind the counter. He'd been standing there for thirty five minutes and the doofus still couldn't find the keys for the SUV he'd already signed and paid for.

"Here you go Mr. uh, what did the paper say, uh…"

"Just give me the keys, I ne.."

"Uh, here it is, here, …yeah yeah Reese." The man behind the counter smiled up at a very irritated Taylor, all too happy to hand over the keys.

Snatching them out of his hands he left with a curt 'thank you'.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch.8

His eyes wandered gradually, slowly from one house to the next, taking everything in, storing details in his mind. From the bikes and toys that littered a couple yards here and there to the cars that occupied the driveways. Habit, Taylor was always one to take note of his surroundings. In his line of work it was something to take seriously, if you didn't you might find yourself in a nasty situation.

No one likes those kinds of situations.

He had enough to deal with already, didn't feel like putting up with unnecessary shit. He'd made sure to know where Richie was before leaving, he was content knowing the incompetent shit was running around like a clown doing meaningless jobs for his cousin.

Why Bruno didn't get rid of him was beyond Taylor's comprehension, family ties only went so far when you were pretty much a useless pain in the ass.

'_Dipshit, how you managed to track Kathy down is beyond me.' _He always paraded around like he was a top dog, but people knew better, Taylor knew better. Bruno amused him, giving him _special _tasks to take care of, making him feel big. _'Fucking wannabe.' _

His eyes continued to roam the premises, he paid closer attention to the few people he'd seen since arriving. Smirking at the sight of the young mother trying to wrestle her rowdy four year old away from the playful golden retriever being walked by a rather short elderly lady. _'Poor woman, kid looks like trouble.'_

From what he'd observed so far, he'd summed up that it was a pretty quiet neighborhood. Nice.

Looking back to the house two doors down from where he'd parked, he recognized it from a couple of pictures Katherine had showed him. Recognized the long wrap around porch, the massive oak tree in the front yard, the swing hanging from a sturdy branch. He'd been told she and her family had once lived there, when she was young, before moving to the home her parents now resided in.

But he hadn't been aware that the house in the pictures stood in Detroit, and not in Chicago, where her family lived. He had no clue she even owned it. She'd never offered that bit of information. It never crossed his mind that she'd be here, never thought to try to sniff around these parts.

'_Time to check this place out.'_

Stepping out of the rented Tahoe, he made his way up the sidewalk. Lazily looking around, he blended in and tried not to look too out of place as best he could. Hands in his jeans pockets he played with the ring of keys there, setting a slow pace, careful not to draw any attention.

'_Don't wanna look like a thug coming in to rough someone up, don't want people scared and shit. She won't like that.'_

She wouldn't like him breaking into her house either, or being cornered. _'Too bad, she brought it on herself, shouldn't have run.'_

He still bristled at the memory of finding her gone, he couldn't help it. He shook his head, clearing it of his previous thoughts, instead focusing on the house.

His feet carried him up the wooden porch steps, stopping only so he could look back and make sure no one was watching.

Feeling secure he walked further onto the porch and made his way to the back of the house, admiring the build, it was an attractive dwelling. A home fit for a family, it was big, but not awfully so.

The back yard was immense, oaks of differing sizes littered it, a jungle gym was set off to the left side of the property.

He walked over to the backdoor, pulling his hands out of his pockets along with the set of keys. He'd made sure to bring these particular tools along, it made things a lot easier. He had no desire breaking down a perfectly good door, or picking the lock. Sure he was good at it, but why bother when you had other ways of getting in.

After the third key worked he made his way inside.

-----

He could smell her, her scent hit him the minute he stepped inside the door. In the living room, she was there, in the kitchen, she was there. In the bedroom…she was there, everywhere.

He brought the soft piece of silk up to his nose, she was there, and it was making him ache.

He enjoyed the feel of the nightgown on his fingers, soft, delicate. Blue, such a rich shade of blue. _'Like her eyes.'_

Rubbing the material against his cheek he remembered the way she felt against him, the delicate skin of her inner thighs against his hands, against his cheeks, his lips.

He gritted his teeth and sat down heavily on the bed, feeling frustrated beyond belief. Stepping inside the house he felt a weight that had been pressing down on his shoulders since boarding the plane leave, but he still felt wound up somewhat.

He'd managed to take his mind off of the shit he needed to deal with back home, and Benny knew where he was. "Go get her.", was all he'd said. Taylor'd been doing a hell of a job, collecting, running his assigned branches, coming up with leads. Benny was more than happy, he wasn't concerned with letting Taylor off for a while.

And Taylor knew Matty could deal with the shop by himself, wasn't something he had to worry about there.

What he was anxious about was her reaction to him, he wasn't going to let her off easily, wasn't going to let her run shit that was for sure. He was going to get what he came for, most definitely. He was way past caring if he should be thoughtful to her feelings and situation, or so he'd said. Matty lectured him before leaving, saying that he should take it easy, to be calm with her.

Calm. Yeah, he'd promised calm.

'_What the fuck ever, calm my ass.'_

Yet he couldn't help but want her to accept him there, to see that she was ok, even happy with his presence. He didn't really want to think about how he'd take being pushed away.

He hadn't dealt with it well when she'd tried to before. He knew for sure he wouldn't take it lightly now.

The sheets felt cool, the pillow so comforting against his head, his large frame relaxed into the lush bed. He closed his eyes, letting her smell take over him for a bit.

His attention was brought back to the nighty, holding it up he realized it was like the one she'd left at his place. The one he'd given her. It had looked so bright against her creamy skin, her mused. He'd thrown it out in a rage after doing a number on his bedroom only to retrieve the blood red gown once he'd calmed down. He still had it, in a drawer, she'd want it back when she returned. He was sure.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch.9

Her knees wobbled slightly as she made her way up the steps, the hefty groceries in her arms threatening to spill over if she didn't manage to find a bit of balance, the three inch heels on her boots weren't helping either. Standing on the top step she leaned her hip against the porch railing, relieved she hadn't fallen flat on her ass.

A bit out of breath she called out to Misty. "Mist, come on, don't just stand around looking pretty. Either open the door for me or help me with these bags. They weigh a ton."

No answer. Looking over her shoulder she became aware her friend was still by the car, sending a nervous look to what seemed to be a black SUV a couple of doors down.

'_Wonder what's up with her.'_

She'd been chatty earlier that morning, very noisy and voluble, Katherine thought it a bit odd. Sure Misty had an energetic vibe to her, the energy tended to rule her tongue, she had an opinion about everything, and she made sure you knew it.

Katherine was used to it, but she had a nagging feeling that there was something off with the way her friend and her motor mouth kept yapping about. Moving from one subject to the next with lightening speed. There was no real order or sense to it. Misty's ramblings were laced with an almost nervous desperation. There was something wrong. Katherine just didn't know what.

When asked, Misty assured over and over that she was fine. That she was just really looking forward to dinner, excited about all the food. A little speculative Katherine had let it go, thinking if there was really something wrong she'd know sooner or later.

On the drive back home Misty's hyper attitude dwindled down considerably, gone was the constant chatter, in it's place was a nervous silence. It only served to boost Katherine's curiosity.

"What's wrong Misty?"

Nothing. The other woman's mind was apparently somewhere miles away.

"Misty!"

Startled out of her thoughts Misty turned sharply. "Wha! Huh…oh, what?"

"I asked you to open the door, but you weren't paying attention. Then I asked you what was wrong. You know whose that is", she asked motioning with a nod of her head to the SUV, "it wasn't there when we left."

Eyes wide Misty shook her head, hurriedly making her way to unlock the front door.

"No, no clue." She said quietly. After fumbling with the keys she managed to get the door open, and stepped aside letting Katherine in.

Throwing a curious glance Misty's way she made her way past the foyer and into the kitchen, once there she went straight to the counter by the sink, relieving her aching arms of the heavy sacks. Rummaging through the different groceries she smiled to herself, thinking of how much she and Misty were going to stuff themselves at dinner.

The little red light on the coffee machine caught her attention. _'Why is it on? We didn't use it earlier, we didn't make coffee…'_

Reaching to turn if off her hand stopped in mid-air, a surprised gasp slipped past her lips, her whole body went stock still as two large hands enveloped her hips in a firm grip. The rumbling voice in her ear hit her like a fist in the stomach. The familiar smell that filled her nostrils sent an alarm blaring in her head.

'_Taylor!'_

"Nice place you have here. It's cozy." He spoke slowly, softly, still the hardness in his voice evident.

'_Oh God.' _

The heat at her back made the small hairs on her neck stand at attention, her hands trembled.

"I like it. Especially that bedroom of yours Kathy.", the tip of his broad nose skimmed the shell of her ear. Ever so slowly shifting to her cheek, his full lips followed, a bare whisper over her skin.

"Yeah, I like it a lot. What about you? You like it more than the one you had back home? Like it better than mine Kathy?", he asked. One hand moved to her stomach, long fingers spread out wide, rubbing sluggishly.

"Kathy…", he uttered against her jaw.

'_Oh fuck!'_

Her limbs would not cooperate, her brain screamed at her to move, to jerk away, still her body stayed rooted in it's place. The sound of his voice had done more than surprise her, it had scared the shit out of her.

Her heart was trying to beat it's way right through her ribcage.

He'd found her, he was in her house, right behind her and he was moving in even closer now. His hard hands were touching her, holding her, squeezing her hip…stroking her belly. Unlike his hard hands his questioning lips were soft, brushing back and forth against her cheek.

She hadn't heard him walk up on her, she'd had no warning whatsoever.

The kiss he planted behind her ear made her skin break out in goose bumps, her breath caught in her throat.

"Hmm? I asked you a question Kathy. You like it here better?" _'Better here than with me?'_ He couldn't seem to ask the latter, afraid he wouldn't like her answer.

She made to move away, the hand at her middle pulled back, flattening her back to the muscled wall behind her. She huffed her displeasure, then gritted her teeth at the feeling of his lips layering small kissed on her neck, at the prickly sensation his goatee caused.

"Cat got your tongue?", he asked with a hint of dry amusement in his voice. He wanted to hear her voice, waiting for it he ran his nose up her neck and buried it in her dark hair, breathing the fruity scent of it in.

She was tense in his hands, her breathing shallow and shaky.

Somehow managing to break out of her stupor she pushed at his hands. Whirling around and away from him, her eyes fixed themselves on his towering form, no more than a few steps away now.

Tall, imposing and ever rugged he stood in front of her, his arms loose at his sides, still the muscles in his broad shoulders were tense, his feet braced wide apart, strong legs ready to run after her if need be it seemed.

He was overwhelming. If she thought the look he gave her before, when they were together, was intense…she was sure the one he was throwing her way now would blow the previous out of the water.

He appeared bigger to her now, bigger than before. She couldn't _not _look at him. He was breathing up all her air it seemed, the amount her lungs were receiving was far to little. She needed him to move, needed more space.

Her small step back was matched with two of his, he wasn't going to let her get away, she mused bitterly, and now she was cornered, her back connecting with hard granite. It was better than being against a hard wall of muscle, she decided.

She put her hands in front of her in an effort to keep him away, and clenched her eyes shut.

"Look at me Kathy."

She shook her head slowly.

"Look at me." His hand snaked up and grasped her wrist.

"I came such a long way Kathy, just for you baby, least you could do is look at me." He said in a hard voice.

Opening her eyes she twisted her arm to the left then right, trying to dislodge his hold on her. "Let go of me."

"Don't want to Kathy, been a while, since the last time I saw you, touched you…"

"Taylor!" The cry at the kitchen entrance caught both of their attention. Scared eyes moved between the pair. "Don't hurt her, you said…you'd help…her. You said."

The anger bubbled up so fast in Katherine that if it wasn't for Taylor's hold on her she thought she'd fall over, disbelieving eyes locked on Misty's fearful ones. In a choked whisper she said, "You told him?"

Misty's lips moved but nothing came out, her usual quick tongue had apparently nothing to say. She settled on a sad nod of her head.

"Get lost Misty."


End file.
